80th Birthday tour review

March 4, 2018 – by Bruce Fessier for The Desert Sun

Jack Jones proved Saturday at the McCallum he is the best of the Sinatra successors – and not by default. He did his vocal calisthenics on “Without A Song,” without a fault. He was just as impressive doing cabaret jazz, conjuring Chet Baker on soft and sexy ballads under a spotlight – but with pure chops. He even got an angsty Al Green tone on a slow, soulful “Girl Talk” before adding funny lyrics (“They call it Botox…”). The show had everything, including his dramatic “Man of La Mancha” number and “Love Boat” for Gavin MacLeod in the audience. His voice just got better as the night went on. But what I liked most was just sinking into my seat on the jazzy ballads, like “Shadow of Your Smile,” and transcending into a state of blissful relaxation; that level of serenity where you just purr.

Jack Jones, now 80, said he is hoping to become world’s greatest singer ‘by default’